Process for manufacturing prismatically-hollowed sheet-metal characters.



PATENTED SEPT. 26,1905.

F. BBERT. PROGESS FOR MANUFACTURING PRISMATIGALLY HOLLOWED SHEET METAL CHARACTERS.

APPLICATION FILE UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

FRANZ EBERT, on LEIPSIO, GERMANY. PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING PRISMATICALLY-HOLLOWED SHEIET-MIETAL CHARACTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1305.

Applicatinn filed April 22, 1905- Serial No. 256,954.

Prismatically-Hollowed Sheet-Metal Characters, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing prismatically hollowed sheet-metal letters or other characters for show-windows, signboards, and the like.

The letters are arranged behind the glass of.

the show-window or the like and are formed in a prismatically-deepened form in order to,

a give an impression of heightened relief. The

deepened form has hitherto been produced by making an incision in or engraving the letters, which have been cut or stamped out of thin flat sheet metal, the out being made along a central line running parallel to the edges of the letters and along lines branching off from the latter toward the corners of the letters. The incisions or engraved lines are made on the back of the sheet, and afterward the parts of the sheet metal along the same are folded through an angle corresponding to the desired prismatic form. In the case of this old process it is necessary to solder up the engraved lines on the back of the sheet after the parts of the sheet metal have been bent up in order to give to the letters or other characters therequisite power of keeping their shapethat is, to enable them to remain in their bent-up form. Moreover, when the parts of the letter were bent up a slit passing completely through the metal was often formed along the engraved central lines or along separate parts of the same, so that for this reason alone it was in some cases necessary to solder the letter. This circumstance in consequence of the tim'eand labor consumed caused the price of signboards provided with such letters or of words made from such letters for show-win dows and the liketo be comparatively high. By means of the present process this defect has been done away with by making the letters without engraving the middle line running parallel to the edges of the letter and the branch lines deviating toward the corners of the same.

According to the present invention the piece of flat sheet metal serving for the formation of the letter is laid with its back surface on a soft elastic supporting-plate and the markedsubjected to pressure, this instrument being applied to the front surface of the sheet. By this means the sheet in consequence of the soft support is pressed in along the middle line to a suitable depth into the soft support and the remaining parts of the sheet situated laterally near to the parts pressed in follow this pressure to such an extent that without anything else being necessary a letter in a prismatically-deepened flat form is produced, which is able'to keep its shape. A weakening of the sheet along the middle line, as in the case of the former process, is in the present case completely out of the question, and if the parts of the sheet have been subsequently still further bent together about the line'along which pressure has been applied for the sake of in creasing the depth of the hollow producedthis form can be made to keep its shape in a slmple manner by once more passing over the line. of pressure with the blunt tool, the latter beingagain subjected to suitable pressure. As, moreover, the splitting of the sheet when it is bent up is quite out of the question, in the case of the present process the work of soldering is entirely done away with. It is self-evident that this circumstance has as a consequence a material diminution of the cost of production, and consequently of the sell- .ing price of the letters or other characters or of the glass tablets, plates, or the like provided with the same.

In the accompanyingdrawings one manner -in which the process may be earned out is shown, together with letters produced by the process.

In said drawings, Figure 1 illustrates the manner in which the letter is pressed in by means of a blunt instrument. Fig. 2 illustrates a letter in plan made according to the present process. Fig. 3 is a section on the line III III of Fig. 2. Fig.4: is a plan of the letter ln made by the process according to the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line V V of Fig. 4:. i

The letters are stamped or cut in a wellknown manner out of a thin flat metal sheet,

and the middle linesare then marked out on the same. Such a letter a as is shown in Fig. 1 is laid on a plate 6, of soft elastic material su'ch as felt, rubber, or the likeand then the marked-out middle line- (shown vdotted in Fig. 1) ispassed over by a blunt pencil 0Z or a tool which may be provided with a small wheel, said tool beingsubjected to pressure. The sheet metal is hereby pressed into the felt or rubber plate at the places where the pressure is applied, and by this means, without anything else being nccessary,a letter having a Hat prismatically-deepened form is produced. By further bending up the lateral parts of the sheet by hand the depth of the letter can be made as great as desired without the sheet breaking or tearing in the middle. By once more passing the blunt tool along the line along which the metal is bent the bentup prismatic form permanently maintains its shape without anything else being necessary. The letter consequently becomes of the appropriate form. such as that shown in Fig. 2, Without any other proceeding being requisite-that is, without soldering being necessaryand consequently the costs of production are substantially reduced.

In the case of certain letters-as, for example, in the case of n, (represented in Fig. 4,) in the case of which a curved prismatic surface meets a straight prismatic surfaceit is necessary, in order to produce the desired effect of heightened relief at this place, to make on the back surface an impression along the line 0 as a continuation of the periphery of the curved part of the letter, as is shown in Fig. 4.

Instead of guiding the blunt tool, as represented, with the hand along the marked-out middle line, the same could be mounted firmly, in which case the letter, with its supportingplate, must be led past the tool under the application of suitable pressure, the tool passing along the middle line and a displacement of the letter being avoided by clamping the letter on the supporting-plate or by holding it firmly.

The deepened surface of the letters is gilded, silrered. or provided with any suitable coating, and the letters are then assembled in a well-known manner on the back of glass tablets, plates, show-wimlows, and the like so as to form the desired word or the like.

hat I claim asmy invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Process for mai'lufacturingprismatieal| hollowed sheet-metal characters for signboards, show-windows, and the like, consisting in placing sheet-metal characters, cut out more or less according to the. form to be finally assumed, upon a. yieldingsupport, and in passing a blunt tool subjected to pressure, along over the character at the parts where the prismatic edges are to be produced, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Process for manufacturing prismaticallyhollowed sheet-metal characters for sign boards, show-windows. and the like, consisting in placing sheet-metal characters, cutout more or less according to the form to be finally assumed, upon a yielding support, in pressing in the sheet metal at the parts where the prismatic edges are to be produced, in bending up still farther the edges of the letter about the prismatic edges thus formed, and in passing a blunt tool, subjected to pressure, once more along the prismatic edges, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

.ln testimony whereof I have signed 1u,\' name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANZ ICBlCli'l.

Vitn esses:

HENRY Hasrnn, \VoLDnuAn HaUr'r. 

